Take Five

If it’s Tuesday, it’s HOH’s Take Five, wherein we get to know a Member of Congress through five questions. This week, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) expands our vocabulary, and talks a little about dogs and pink hospitals.

Q: We understand you have a dog named Little. Can you tell us a little about her?
A: She was named by my husband, who thought it would be great to be in the veterinarian’s office and have them call out “Little Souza!” (My husband’s name is John Souza.)

Q: What is your favorite court TV show of all time?
A: “Perry Mason,” because when I was growing up in Waianae, we could only catch one TV station and one of the shows was “Perry Mason.”

Q: Your family ran a gas station back in Hawaii. Which gas do you prefer to use?
A: Our family gas station was Chevron, but I tend to buy Costco gas.

Q: While sightseeing in Honolulu, you might run into an oddly pink hospital. Why is it pink?
A: There are many stories as to why the hospital was painted pink, but I understand it was because the decision-makers wanted the color closest to our infamous “red dirt.”

Akahai — meaning kind ness to be expressed with tenderness;
Lokahi — meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony;
‘Ōlu‘olu — meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;
Ha‘aha‘a — meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;
Ahonui — meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.